


You Can Smile

by Tododorky



Category: Hunter X Hunter
Genre: Also i wanted to see if i could manage correctly characterizing them via writing, Just the gang relaxing together
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-12
Updated: 2016-07-13
Packaged: 2018-07-15 14:47:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,040
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7226758
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tododorky/pseuds/Tododorky
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A peaceful fic (*˘︶˘*)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

_"Wooaah, it's so nice here!"_ Gon's eyes grew wide at the scene before them, his smile so wide it almost seemed unreal.  
  
  
  
" 'Course it is, I told you it would be, Gon." Killua smiled at the other's reaction, also for knowing he'd enjoy a place like this.  
  
  
  
Bright and vivid blue canvassed the horizonless sky above the town, with pillowy clouds accenting the view. A soft breeze flowed about and picked up individual leaves among the mass bed of grass that appeared to continue for miles, swaying along with the wind. It was a pretty hot day, but it was surprising that everyone wasn't outside to enjoy the weather. Some families and friends gathered and basked in the sun, the air filled with joyful gatherings and occasional bubbly laughter from children running freely.  
  
  
  
"Ah, that looks so heavenly~" Leorio sighed loudly as he pulled off his suit jacket and hung it over his head, fanning himself. The group looked over to where the taller of the four was looking at.  
  
The group found themselves at the foot of a wide hill which a large oak tree resided, the shade it gave off almost seemed too perfect of a spot to not have already been taken.  


 

  
Of course, it's better to find out yourself than to just stand by and wait.

 

  
  
"Killua, race you there!" Gon beamed back at his friend, darting right in front of him before sprinting up the hill almost at an inhuman speed.  
  
  
  
"Oi, you idiot! That was a dirty trick, I'm the one holding all the food, I want a restart!!" The other boy complained as he tossed the picnic basket and blanket over his shoulder and darted up right after Gon, practically kicking up grass from where he ran in his haste.  
  
  
  
Leorio scrambled about and dove at the basket, attempting to keep all the contents in tact and barely catching the blanket with his an extended foot.  
  
It took some strength for Kurapika to not laugh aloud at the ridiculous pose the taller man found himself in. To distract himself, he kept his gaze away from Leorio directly and simply took the blanket off of his foot.  
  
"Geez, these kids are so reckless. I shouldn't be surprised after what they've been through..or rather what they _willingly_ put themselves through." Leorio whined, recovering from the shock of the moment.  
  
  
  
"You sound like a troubled father, Leorio. Maybe you need some time to unwind as well; to recover from studying so much," Kurapika allowed a relaxed smile once he caught a breeze that grazed his exposed neck and pillowed at his clothes, almost resembling a sail catching a gust of sea wind. The two teens began their trek up the flourishing hill at their own relaxed pace.  
  
  
  
“How can I, when I’m so close!? I-it’d be the equivalent of you and..”  
  
  
  
__‘Alright, I guess seeking revenge from the people who tortured and slaughtered your entire clan is a tad..different. Shouldn’t really bring that up.’  
  
  
  
“Leorio, what is it?” Kurapika looked back at the taller of the two, concern in his voice as his gaze watched the other teen.  
  
  
  
“Nothing. Just...remembered something is all.” He rubbed at the back of his neck and avoided Kurapika’s gaze, passing him up the hill. “Man, we gotta get up there, or I’ll pass out on the spot~” Leorio whined aloud, partly to change the mood.  
  
  
  
“You _did_ suggest we go out and get some fresh air while we’re all in town together.” Kurapika caught up in calm but quick strides, staring ahead.  
  
  
  
“Well, yeah, just thought it’d be a good idea--”  
  
  
  
“Also, it isn’t as though we had too many options to decide from, especially since the last time we all went out together it was at that lake in Trist Town, and that was when you--”  
  
  
  
A finger was placed at Kurapika’s lips as Leorio leaned down close to him. “I thought I swore everyone to secrecy; _there’s to be no discussing the events that took place that day._ ” With that, Leorio continued onward and upward, nearing the peak of the hill.  
  
  
  
“So then, I guess this was the best choice then, yes?” Kurapika sighed as he unfolded out the blanket before taking his satchel off from around him and sat with his back against the tree. Leorio folded his suit jacket into a makeshift pillow for himself to rest on with a loud sigh. “Alright, alright, I guess this place is fine.”  
  
  
  
Kurapika hummed in agreement as he took out an old weathered book from his bag and quickly flipped to a specific page; his spot was bookmarked by an old string of worn leather that was attached to the binding of the book.  
  
  
  
The roar of the wind flowed into the foliage of the giant tree, rustling in the breeze and exposing the shade cast by the tree to brief streaks of sunlight through the leaves. It was blissful, just being able to sit down, take such a scene in and not having to be anywhere or do anything.  
  
  
  
“Oh, what book is that? It looks ancient.” Kurapika looked down at Leorio, who tapped at the other’s shoe to get his attention.  
  
  
  
“It’s about a woman who lived in a small village. She wakes up to a life she can’t remember; an entirely new family, a profession that she knows nothing about but has apparently worked there for more than 4 years, and so on. She runs into a man who claims she has been bewitched, and wishes to help her. You have to find out why is it she can’t remember her own life, and what happened to her original memories. I found it while I was traveling for work, and the way it's written has a bit of a roughness to it that caught my eye, I guess.”  
  
  
  
“Ehh, seems a bit dark, but then again, I can see why you’d be interested in it.” The taller teen crossed his arms behind his head as he looked up at the tree.  
  
  
  
“Well of course I read the book you gave to me, granted that was a bit, how do I say..rough around the edges, and in my opinion, worth a complete do over. It was difficult to pick up where the story was going, but the style of expression was different and interesting.”  
  
  
“I left you a book?”  
  
  
  
“Yes, it was a faded indigo hardcover, the pages had some slight smudging from the ink-- oh that’s right! This book wasn’t even in print, but in someone’s own handwriting, and--”  
  
  
  
“K-kurapika, I didn’t leave you a book, at least with the intentions of you actually reading it. What you read must’ve been my... _personal memoirs._ ”  
  
  
  
The two stared at each other, mainly Leorio waiting for Kurapika’s reaction. It seemed for a minute he was making the connections with the taller teen and whatever information he’d gathered via the tattered journal.  
  
  
__  
“Why on Earth is your handwriting so atrocious, half of this is just haphazardly drawn scribbles! And what would convince you leave such sensitive information about yourself lying about, why are you even writing memoirs at such a young age?!”  
  
  
  
“I was busy at the time, alright?! I was going to miss my flight, and I always forget something somewhere, and once I realized it was missing--”  
  
  
  
“But this has your personal beliefs and perspectives in here, and you just left this at the hotel?! Who knows what could’ve happened if I hadn’t found it!” Kurapika hastily dug into his bag and pulled out the journal, strided over to Leorio and handed it to him.  
  
It grew quiet instantly between them. Leorio could hear Kurapika attempting to take slow, deep breaths to recollect his calm.  
  
  
  
“Oh and..I believe this is yours as well.”  
  
  
  
Kurapika reached into his bag and recovered a small slip of paper and carefully placed it into Leorio’s palm. At this, the taller teen instantly recognized it, even in this form. He repositioned himself to lie on his stomach and propped himself up on his elbows. He opened the small and worn photo of a small boy with messy and unkempt hair. Even in the condition of the photo you could tell he was missing a front tooth and his face was practically powdered with dirt. Regardless of all this, the small boy still smiled warmly into the camera.  
  
“My apologies, it fell out of the book the instant I picked it up, so I’m not sure what page it was on.” Kurapika’s voice grew soft and through it a prominent apologetic tone. “That’s Pietro, yes?”

 

Leorio couldn’t stop the smile that grew on his face, recollecting his childhood friend and the memories that he knew without him, would’ve never been the same. Others would’ve seen running around barefoot throughout unpaved roads in the hot sun day after day as a past to not be proud of, or worse, to forget altogether.

 

“It is. Did I mention him enough in that journal?” Kurapika’s expression shifted into a small smile and did his best to hide it with the back of his hand. “Definitely not, the stories you tell about all the trouble you both used to get into were great!” Leorio slipped the photo into his shirt pocket

  
“Is it.... too quiet for you?” Leorio looked up at Kurapika, watching the other teen as he looked puzzled for a minute, then slowly evolved into realization.

 

The headcount of the group came up short; Gon and Killua were out of sight.


	2. Chapter 2

There was an air of uneasiness between the two.

 

“I’m sure Gon and Killua can handle themselves, it’s not like they’re in a potentially dangerous place. It’s in the middle of broad daylight, and we would’ve noticed if something wasn’t right.”

 

“Yeah, of course. You’re right.”

* * *

 

“Gon, did you see where it went?”

 

“Yeah, I can get it, just hold my shoes for me.” Gon handed his shoes to Killua in order to chase after the small lizard they found that dove into the creek. The water was practically as clear as glass, making the bright blue lizard stand out as it hid among the rocks at the bottom of the quietly flowing stream.

 

It was actually a lot deeper than it looked; the water came up to Gon’s knees, and upon jumping in, his whole body shivered, in contrast to the smile that broke out on his face. “It’s _freezing_ in here!” His bubbly laughter broke out between his words.

“Hurry, go get it! Before it buries itself too deep!” Killua stood just at the edge of the water, eyeing where the lizard disappeared along the rocks in the stream.

“Ok, ok, I got it,” Gon wiggled his toes against the soft, slippery moss that coated some of the rocks at the bottom before slowly walking over to the area the lizard was last spotted at. He placed his fingers carefully along the rocks, pushing them lightly to see where they were loose, then moving it out of the way.

After moving four or five of the rocks, a small sliver of blue shined from the water and caught Gon’s eye instantly. His hand worked before his mind even had the thought of reaching out and catching the lizard swiftly and yanking it out to the surface.

 

“Ooh, he has gills too!” Gon curiously examined the lizard between his fingers as he walked back to Killua, bringing it within the other’s range of sight.

 

“What makes you say it’s a boy, can you tell?” The other boy joked, but instantly got a blank expression in response, then a concerned glance at the lizard, then back to Killua. “The...belly is blue..?”

 

“We can work on that later, but I want to hold the lizard right now.”

 

Gon stopped within a few feet of Killua, making sure to hide the lizard just out of reach.

 

“What are you doing, let me see it!” Killua whined as he stood on his tip toes to try to get a look at the small creature.

 

“First you have to get in the water.” Gon decreed as he stared at the other with an unamused expression and placed his free hand on his hip. Killua stared at the water precautiously.

“How cold _is_ it?” Killua whined as he slipped off his shoes and dangled a foot above the water, slowly nearing the water’s surface.

 

“Find out for yourself!” Gon darted out to Killua, grabbed at his shirt and pulled him down into the water. Of course Killua knew he was up to something, so he fastened a grip onto Gon’s hand and dragged the other boy down with him with a splash.

 

“You _idiot, it’s freezing!_ ” Killua sat up in the stream instantly, sputtering at the water and kicked Gon in the side.

“Well, now you know for yourself!” Gon visibly shuddered at the water and pushed his hair back out of his face, laughing out loud until realizing that both of his hands were empty.

 

“Ah, I think we let him go.”

 

“What do you mean, _we_?! If you hadn’t thrown me in here, we would’ve still had him!”

“Yeah, maybe. But it _is_ kinda nice in here, right? You’re not in the hot sun anymore,” Gon sighed and shifted himself lower into the stream so the water was to his chin.

Killua pondered this and sat back as he closed his eyes. “I guess you’re right about that, yeah. But I would’ve liked to not wear my only clothes I brought with me to swim.” Gon hummed in response.

 

At once they began to listen to the area around them; the lazy stream gently pushing at them, the faint sound of people on the other side of the hill, the occasional gust of wind that soothingly cooled them. The world began to fade into one solid mental image, condensed into their minds through their senses that collected the pieces of what surrounded them.

 

“Oi, are you hungry?” Killua lightly kicked at Gon’s foot, jolting him to focus.

 

“Ah, yeah.”

* * *

 

"Yeah, maybe somehow there'll be a breakthrough..just gotta keep at it," Leorio mumbled gruffly, scratching at his chin as he gazed up at the leaves.

 

“Mhm, I wish you the best on that, then.” Kurapika flipped to a new page in his book, becoming wrapped up in the story.

  


"Leorio, don't scrunch up your face all like that!"

 

"Yeah, it ages you more."

 

“Where the hell did _you two_ go?! And you can’t tell me something like that when I’m right in the middle of relaxing!” Leorio jumped up to scold the boys, whose clothes were still soaked through.

 

“We ended up running to the top of the hill too fast, tumbling down the other side, and found a stream.” Gon bashfully tugged his clothes onto him and wrung his shirt out, with it water poured down onto the ground.

 

“Honestly, you’ll both catch colds like that, the sun’s going down already and you’ve got nothing to change into!” Kurapika hastily got up and yanked the blanket Leorio was using off of him, proceeding to sit both of the kids down close together and wrap them in the blanket.

 

“You’re both probably hungry too, yes? Here, I’ve already eaten my lunch, and it’s been work trying to keep Leorio from eating your lunches--” A grunt interrupted Kurapika, “But now you two eat up, we’ll leave soon once it starts getting dark.”

 

Once Kurapika handed the two boys the basket, it became a frenzy of hands darting incredibly fast into the basket and directly to their mouths, practically inhaling the contents.

 

“Be sure you kids _chew_ your food, geez! It’s not like it’s going to run away!” Leorio whined at the two, but upon turning to look at them, he found himself face-to-face with something that halted him in his spot.

 

"Oi oi oi, you three! Look here! Do you know what this is?!"

 

Carefully, Leorio plucked a brightly red flower from the ground, eyeing it with some great fascination. It's petals were spotted orange, opened wide and curled up under themselves, exposing three long stigma that stood up toward the sky.

 

"It's...pretty?" Gon reached out to the flower, but Leorio swiftly dodged his grasp, waving a finger in the boy's direction.

 

“Well, yes, but that's not what I meant. From what I’ve read--there’s a flower that greatly resembles this one, and their bred for their strong smell. Supposedly the smell is strong and instantly effects one’s memories: it can make your most nostalgic memories so vivid and life-like, it’s almost as though they’re happening right in front of you all over again!” Leorio gesticulated for effect through out the presentation of this mystical flower, which the three gawked at in awe. 

 

"So this isn't the same flower?" Killua scrunched his nose as he stared quizzically at the flower, to which Leorio responded, "It is not, just a similar one; a rare cousin--ah..wait a minute, it's trembling," 

 

Leorio brought the flower closer to his face to examine it as the other three watched, still with anticipation.

 

"Hey, it's our friend!" Gon called out and pointed to the flower happily.

 

"What-what are you talking--" 

 

Leorio instantly saw the small blue lizard crawl out of the flower, staring back at him as his gills opened and closed slowly.

 

"Man, that sly devil must've hitched a ride on us somehow!" Killua giggled at Leorio's reaction to the lizard as it only got closer and closer to the teen's face, then jumped onto him and crawled into his shirt.

 

 

Suddenly Leorio jumped up and began to lurch and swat at himself desperately, attempting to catch the scaly creature as it scrambled about under his clothes. 

 

"L-Leorio, stop moving, m-maybe it'll just.." Kurapika cupped a hand over his mouth and tilted his head down, his intention of stifling his laughter showing as his shoulders shook.

 

"Kurapika, don't just stand the-- _are you laughing at me?!_ Dammit, i-it’s like that time in Trist Town all over again!”

 

“No, Trist Town was worse, Leorio! Remember, you got those huge leeches all over your butt--”

  
“ _WE ALL PROMISED TO NOT TALK ABOUT THAT EVER AGAIN!!!”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks again for reading this fic! Comment if you'd like!

**Author's Note:**

> I want to thank everyone/anyone who takes the time to read this! I put a lot of work into appropriately characterizing these guys and describing what I had in mind, but yeah thanks! I'd love to hear your thoughts as well!!!
> 
> *Also any of the locations/flowers/or anything that you don't remember hearing from the series, I made up to fit in the story better


End file.
